Cultivating Advising Leaders: Exploring Professional Identity Development in Academic Advising
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
MEANING
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Session Outline
This presentation explores the emerging professional identities of academic advising leaders, drawing from an ongoing study of doctoral students in an academic advising leadership program. Grounded in leadership and mentoring theories, this study examines how these future leaders conceptualize their roles, develop their professional identities, and articulate their developmental needs. Using a qualitative research design, we analyze data from [number] doctoral student participants through in-depth interviews, adhering to ethical considerations regarding confidentiality and informed consent.
This research aligns with the conference themes of Meaning and Success and Outcomes by illuminating how advising professionals make meaning of their educational and career journeys. Additionally, we discuss how these insights can inform more effective leadership development in academic advising. Attendees will leave with concrete takeaways, including strategies for fostering leadership growth and mentoring future advising leaders within their institutions.
To enhance engagement, the session will incorporate interactive elements such as [e.g., Mentimeter or Padlet] to facilitate discussion and knowledge exchange. We will also highlight the impact of this work at Kansas State University and explore its applicability in other institutional contexts.
By the end of the session, participants will have a clearer understanding of the professional identity formation of advising leaders and practical tools to support their development in higher education.
Learning Outcomes
1. Insights into the professional identity development of advising leaders
2. Ideas for enhancing leadership development programs in academic advising
3. A deeper understanding of the evolving nature of advising leadership in higher education
4. Inspiration for reflecting on their own professional identities and career trajectories
Bibliography
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2. Kim, J. H. (2016): Understanding Narrative Inquiry: The Crafting and Analysis of Stories as Research. Sage.
3. LaPointe, K. (2010): Narrating career, positioning identity: Career identity as a narrative practice. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 77(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.04.003
4. McGill, C. M., Duslak, M., & Puroway, D. (2020): Entering academic advising: Theorizing professional socialization. Journal of Academic Advising, 2, 3–10.
5. Meijers, F., Kuijpers, M., & Gundy, C. (2013): The relationship between career competencies, career identity, motivation, and quality of choice. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 13(1), 47–66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-012-9237-4
6. Polkinghorne, D. E. (1995): Narrative configuration in qualitative analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 8(1), 5–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/0951839950080103
7. Priest, K. L., & Seemiller, C. (2018): Past experiences, present beliefs, future practices: Using narratives to re(present) leadership educator identity. Journal of Leadership Education, 17(1), 93–113. https://doi.org/10.12806/V17/I1/R3
8. Slay, H. S., & Smith, D. A. (2011): Professional identity construction: Using narrative to understand the negotiation of professional and stigmatized cultural identities. Human Relations, 64(1), 85–107.
9. Sutherland, L., Howard, S., & Markauskaite, L. (2010): Professional identity creation: Examining the development of beginning preservice teachers' understanding of their work as teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(3), 455–465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.06.006
Competencies
This session addresses the following competencies of the UKAT Professional Framework for Advising and Tutoring